Junctions with cycle facilities

Siân Berry: How many junctions does Transport for London (TfL) have on the roads within its control where major roads meet? Could you provide a table showing how many of these have traffic signals, and how many of them now have safe cycling facilities?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) is responsible for all traffic signals across London but only is Highway Authority for 580km of road. Across London, there are 2,748 signalised junctions controlling the meeting of major roads. There are 6,400 traffic signals pan-London. 2,784 are at junctions, of which 1,627 are on the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN).
At some junctions there is additional infrastructure provided to enhance the cycling experience such as segregated lanes, bus lanes, specific cycle signals and low-level signals, advanced stop lines and Trixie mirrors.Often locations will have a combination of these facilities so it’s difficult to give an exact answer on how many of these junctions have features which support cyclists.
TfL is committed to my Vision Zero ambition of eradicating deaths and serious injuries from London’s roads by 2041. The Safer Junctions programme has prioritised safety improvements at some of London’s most dangerous junctions, where vulnerable road users are disproportionally involved in fatal or serious injury collisions. To date, TfL has completed improvements at 43 of the 73 junctions on the programme, including Highbury Corner, Edgware Road / Harrow Road and Camden Road / Camden Street. Work continues on the programme and TfL plans to commence works at York Road Roundabout, Holloway Road / Drayton Park and Battersea Bridge / Chelsea Embankment by March 2022.

Metropolitan Police Service day of action on violence against women and girls

Caroline Russell: I have heard reports that during the recent Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) day of action challenging violence against women and girls, women were being stopped in the street by MPS officers and were asked to encourage any friends at risk of violence to call the police.
Was this an appropriate tactic?

The Mayor: The recent day of action was focussed on making open spaces safer, supporting preventative action through raising awareness about incidents of violence against women and girls and sharing information with communities and partners.
This included speaking directly to the local community about the issues that concern them and having conversations about how they can contact the police if they felt at risk or at potential risk of violence and abuse, which we would always encourage.
Community engagement is vital for building relationships between MPS officers and community members, and we should never underestimate the power of a conversation.

Safer Neighbourhoods Teams Panels

Emma Best: What work is taking place to ensure the 24 wards without Safer Neighbourhoods Teams (SNT) panels in London form these?

The Mayor: The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is responsible for establishing and maintaining SNT panels. The MPS acknowledge that a small number of London’s wards do not have dedicated SNT panels. It should be noted that a small number of these will be due to two wards deciding to merge their panels, as such there will not be as many panels as there are wards. Nonetheless, it is the clear ambition of the MPS, and me, that all wards will have an effective panel in place. Work to achieve this is overseen by Commander Heydari across all BCUs, and progress is reviewed regularly with the relevant neighbourhood Superintendents.

Knife wands (1)

Emma Best: How many schools in London are currently using knife wands?

The Mayor: Please see 2021/3212 for the latest information on the usage of Knife Wands in London.

Section 60 Stop and Search

Caroline Pidgeon: The latest data from the Home Office has shown that 99 per cent of section 60 stop and searches do not find weapons. Given this staggering data would you not agree that there are more effective tactics the Met could be focussing on?

The Mayor: Section 60 is just one of a range of tactics available to the MPS for tackling violence. It is used in response to intelligence or as a deterrent for preventing violence from occurring, which means judging its effectiveness through positive outcomes alone is not reflective of its impact.
In the twelve months to July 2021 there has been a reduction of 68% in section 60 authorisations. However, I am not complacent given the disproportionate impact of stop and search on some communities, which is why I support the MPS in continuing to improve its practice on stop and search encounters through enhanced training, coaching and supervision of officers through Body Worn Video and physical observation of encounters which are assessed by line managers.

Ace of Spades Underpass Flooding

Nicholas Rogers: During last month’s heavy rainfall was there any flooding at the Ace of Spades Underpass and, if so, what has TfL done to stop this reoccurring next time there is heavy rain?

The Mayor: There was flooding at this location and Transport for London (TfL) has instructed a drainage investigation survey which is programmed for this financial year. The purpose of the study is to look at any further enhancements that can be made to the drainage TfL is responsible for in the underpass and surrounding area.

Cycle Infrastructure design LTN 1/20 standard (1)

Caroline Pidgeon: What steps is TfL taking to ensure that the road maintenance programme combines with updating street layouts to be compliant with LTN 1/20 standards?

The Mayor: There are significant and cost-effective opportunities to provide cycle infrastructure during the construction and maintenance of highway works, particularly in new developments. This is recognised in the National Planning Policy Framework and the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan Guidance. It is important that cycle infrastructure requirements are embedded into local authority planning, design and highway adoption policies and processes. This ensures that good quality cycle infrastructure is delivered in all new developments, new highways and highway improvement schemes.
The Transport for London highways team is undergoing a Healthy Streets training process to further embed minor design changes such as decluttering and bike stand rollout into day-to-day operations, in collaboration with the GLA Infrastructure Coordination Service. TfL intends to document opportunities for these healthy streets ‘micro improvements’ across the entirety of the network as part of day-to-day maintenance activities. This will also make it easier to combine such improvements with utilities streetworks, so that when gas, water, electricity, and telecoms companies dig up the road, they can incorporate minor upgrades when reinstating. For example, they might reinstate a pavement with a lowered kerb to improve accessibility. These small changes, which add little or no cost to works, would have a substantial impact on walking and cycling across London once implemented at scale. To start, TfL will pilot this approach on the GLA Infrastructure Coordination Service’s collaborative streetworks projects, where utilities, telecoms and transport providers partner to ‘dig once’ together and reduce road network disruption.

Idling Police Vehicle Engines (1)

Caroline Pidgeon: Whilst understanding that there may be occasions where the engines of police vehicles need to be kept running, could you please outline steps the Met has taken, and is taking, to reduce incidents of police vehicles leaving engines running when parked?

The Mayor: Please see my response to Mayor's Question2021/3611.

E-Scooter Trials – Intoxicated Riders (2)

Caroline Pidgeon: Recent research showed that e-scooter injuries were more likely to happen after riders had consumed alcohol. Please outline steps you are taking, with the Met and London boroughs, in addition to any safeguards e-scooter providers have in place, to ensure that intoxicated individuals are unable to rent e-scooters in the capital?

The Mayor: E-scooters are classified as motor vehicles and therefore riding an e-scooter after consuming more than the prescribed limit of alcohol is an offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988, in the same way as it is an offence to drive any other motor vehicle under such influence. The Metropolitan Police Service deals with the enforcement of this offence against all drivers of motor vehicles and handles the prosecution of offenders, who will be required to attend court and can lead to an unlimited fine, driving ban and up to 6 months in prison.
Transport for London (TfL), MPS, the rental e-scooter operators and London boroughs collaborate on any rental e-scooter incidents and have regular meetings, including a periodic safety board. A key action as a result of this has been to focus on drink-riding messaging during specific peak times, such as in-app messaging reminding users that drink-riding is illegal and asking them to confirm that they haven’t been drinking before use.
As part of the process to select the trial operators, bidders were required to set out safeguards to deter or prevent intoxicated individuals from renting e-scooters. Please see my answer to question 2021/3589 for further detail on how the operators deter drink riding. TfL’s safety guidance on its website also strongly advises against intoxicated riding.

TfL’s Cycle Map (1)

Elly Baker: In June 2021, my office raised with TfL issues with the legibility of the TfL cycle map (https://tfl.gov.uk/maps/cycle?intcmp=40402&intcmp=58492&intcmp=60683) and the lack of any legend explaining what the different coloured routes on the map refer to. Can you provide an update as to when the legibility issue will be resolved, and a legend added to the map?

The Mayor: The Transport for London’s (TfL) Cycle Map uses Google Maps as its base map. This base map already has footpaths and off-carriageway cycle tracks embedded into it. TfL then overlays the branded Cycleways network on top. TfL’s development team will investigate whether it’s possible to turn off the off-carriageway routes to improve legibility, and to supplement with a key explaining the various route colours used. TfL will report on progress with the feasibility work before the end of October.

Mask use (3)

Leonie Cooper: How many staff are employed to ensure commuters are continuing to wear masks when travelling? Many constituents have complained that many people are no longer wearing masks and that they feel that staff and police are no longer actively trying to give out masks or stop those from travelling who refuse to wear them.

The Mayor: As referenced in my response to Mayor’s Question 2021/3360, Transport for London’s (TfL’s) Enforcement Officers are focusing on educating and encouraging non-exempt passengers to protect the health of others and comply with the mandatory requirements. TfL employs approximately 400 enforcement staff whose role includes the enforcement of the mask wearing requirement.
In addition to Enforcement Officers, TfL’s frontline staff will continue to remind passengers that face coverings are a requirement. Passengers not wearing a face covering may be refused entry or asked to leave the network.
Our policing partners will also continue to be on the transport network, and while they cannot enforce the Conditions of Carriage, they will support TfL in ensuring they offer a safe environment to all TfL’s customers and colleagues and deter any crime and anti-social behaviour.

The Government’s ‘Beating Crime’ Plan (2)

Caroline Pidgeon: Rick Muir, Director of the Police Foundation, has raised concerns over the Government’s ‘Beating Crime Plan’ as it places emphasis on enforcement rather than prevention, particularly for tackling fraud and cybercrime. How will you ensure that here in London both MOPAC and the Met also focus considerable attention on prevention in these areas, which will be essential if we are to tackle complex and developing criminal activities such as fraud and cybercrime?

The Mayor: In my manifesto I said I would be 'tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime'. Prevention is at the heart of this approach, and my new Police and Crime Plan will have this at its core. This will build on the public health approach my Violence Reduction Unit takes.
Fraud and cybercrime are important areas and we will continue to build on our work through the National Fraud Communications Group, the Community Watch Project delivering bespoke fraud prevention advice to over 500,000 people across London. The MPS Fraud & Cyber Partnership; Prevention & Governance (PPG) created The Little Media Series of books and videos offering advice on telephone and online scams. Social media is used to amplify these messages.

TfL’s Cycle Map (2)

Elly Baker: The off-carriageway track on Camley Street shown on the TfL cycle map does not appear to be fully accessible. In July 2021 TfL contacted Camden Council to ask them to consider reviewing this access control layout. Can you update me on the response you have received from Camden and when the layout will be changed?

The Mayor: Transport for London’s (TfL’s) Cycleways network are designed in line with London Cycling Design Standards to be fully accessible.
Camley Street and this off-carriageway track are not part of TfL’s Cycleways network. TfL has therefore contacted the London Borough of Camden, who are responsible for this section of track. They have advised that, unfortunately, due to the lack of availability of funding, there are no immediate plans to make any changes to the track.
TfL’s priority is to ensure delivery of existing committed schemes by December 2021 when its current financial agreement with Government expires. Any new proposals will have to be considered beyond this financial year. However, TfL will continue to work with Borough officers to resolve the accessibility issues at this location.

Vauxhall Bridge Road

Tony Devenish: TfL has proposed traffic calming measures on Vauxhall Bridge Road. I have been contacted by a number of constituents who point out that the stretch of road immediately adjacent to the proposed changes has been badly damaged by repeatedly being dug up by TfL-authorised utility companies and then badly repaired. Before carrying out any additional work, will you commit to putting right the piece of Vauxhall Bridge Road between where TfL is proposing to do work and the junction with Rampayne Street?

The Mayor: Transport for London’s (TfL’s) consultation on proposals to lower speed limits in Westminster has recently closed. The Lowering Speed Limits scheme is part of my Vision Zero Action Plan to eliminate death and serious injury on London’s transport network by 2041. TfL’s proposals will bring the Transport for London Road Network in Westminster in line with borough roads which have already been reduced to 20mph. Once the results from the consultation have been collated, TfL will be in a position to announce next steps.
TfL will seek to coordinate existing plans to resurface sections of Vauxhall Bridge Road as part of this work.
TfL works closely with utility companies to ensure their reinstatement works meet the Specification for Reinstatement of Openings in the Highway - the standard for quality control for such work. TfL exceeds the statutory requirement for inspecting work sites.

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods

Caroline Pidgeon: Further to your answer to 2020/3805 please state if (a) any boroughs with a LTN are not using coordinates of interventions delivered through the London Streetspace Programme to the One.Network mapping system so that blue light services have access to the most up to date changes on the ground, and (b) there are any boroughs which have agreed to use the One.Network mapping system but have not fully trained their staff to input data and if so please provide the names of the Boroughs.

The Mayor: Please find attached an updated table provided by one.network, who administer the mapping system used by London’s Emergency Services, detailing (a) the names of boroughs who have undergone training on its use; and (b) those that have published details of schemes developed in response to Covid-19. Note that this is not limited to schemes funded through Transport for London (TfL) and will include measures implemented using other funding sources. As per Mayor’s Question 2020/3805, the progress and issues surrounding this data sharing activity are continually reviewed as part of regular working group meetings relating to the London Streetspace Programme between TfL and the Emergency Services. Internal staff training for borough officers is not within TfL’s remit, and enquiries on this subject would need to be directed to the boroughs themselves.

The Mayor: 3570 attachment - Low Traffic Neighbourhoods supporting table.pdf

Sharing of traffic monitoring data from Streetspace initiatives

Caroline Pidgeon: Please set out the procedures that are followed for the sharing of information from traffic monitoring surveys undertaken by TfL relating to the impact of Streetspace initiatives with the relevant London Borough and local residents. Can traffic survey data in future be routinely released and accessed as part of your commitment to open government?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) has provided boroughs and residents regular information on how particular schemes are affecting bus journey times, traffic flow, cycle counts and road collisions, on several schemes. TfL realise however that boroughs and residents wish to receive data routinely to understand what is happening on London’s roads, and whether schemes are having the desired impact.
TfL is currently working on a number of initiatives, making data openly available to borough officers, as well as publishing regular monitoring information about each scheme on their dedicated page on the TfL Have Your Say website. This will be available in the coming months.

Housing for women leaving the criminal justice system

Siân Berry: What is your role in ensuring that women have access to appropriate housing when they leave prison, and is this something you will be considering for additional action through your new Police and Crime Plan?

The Mayor: Safe accommodation for women leaving prison is crucial to achieving successful rehabilitation and cutting reoffending and overall crime levels, something which will be a central aim of my new Police and Crime Plan. It is essential MOJ, HM Prison & Probation Services and Councils deliver in partnership and make greater progress to ensure every woman has suitable accommodation upon release.
The needs of these women are often multiple and complex. Despite no statutory remit, I invested £4.5m into women’s wrap-around service support between 2018-2021. As part of the recent Probation reforms, I co-commissioned with the MoJ, a Pan London Service, investing £2.5m for 2021-22 for the wrap-around service’s continuation including community-based housing support for all London women leaving prison.
I also established London’s Blueprint for Women in Contact with the CJS, which with partners, including the Safe Homes for Women Initiative, is developing a Women’s Prison Release Protocol and is driving more effective arrangements for London.